Mint Condition
Encyclopedia
Mint Condition is an R&B band from Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...

. Formed in the late 1980s, its original members were lead singer (and in-studio drummer/percussionist) Stokley Williams
Stokley Williams
David Stokley Williams is an American singer and percussionist, best known as the lead singer of the band Mint Condition....

, bassist Ricky Kinchen, guitarist Homer O'Dell, pianist Larry Waddell, keyboardist Keri Lewis, and keyboardist/saxophonist Jeffrey Allen. Currently, this line-up remains intact, with the exception of Lewis, who left the group to produce for other artists. The group is well known for its highly diverse musical style (able to play anything from traditional jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

 stylings to mainstream R&B and rock-based music to funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...

 grooves and even Latin
Latin American music
Latin American music, found within Central and South America, is a series of musical styles and genres that mixes influences from Spanish, African and indigenous sources, that has recently become very famous in the US.-Argentina:...

 and Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...

n-based rhythms) and also its captivating live performances. The band is also well known for their well written and produced R&B ballads, mainly in the 1990s.

History

Mint Condition has been together since they were students at Central High School
Central High School (Saint Paul, Minnesota)
Central High School of Saint Paul, is the oldest high school in the state of Minnesota, United States. Founded in 1866 in downtown Saint Paul, Central has educated many leaders in business, government, literature, arts, sciences, and education throughout the state of Minnesota and the United States...

 in Saint Paul.

1989-1991: Meant to be Mint

Discovered and originally signed to Perspective Records
Perspective Records
Perspective Records was an American record label, launched in 1991 by the producing team Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, through a joint venture with A&M Records—which Jam/Lewis had had a prosperous working relationship with throughout the 1980s, with several of its major acts including Janet Jackson, The...

 by music producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
James Samuel "Jimmy Jam" Harris III and Terry Steven Lewis are an American R&B and pop-music songwriting and record production team...

 in 1989 (after being heard at a performance at a club in downtown Minneapolis called First Avenue), their debut album was entitled Meant To Be Mint (released in 1991). Despite their musical versatility the band attempted to attract New Jack Swing
New jack swing
New jack swing or swingbeat is a fusion genre spearheaded by Teddy Riley and Bernard Belle which became extremely popular from the late-1980s into the mid-1990s. Its influence, along with hip-hop, seeped into pop culture and was the definitive sound of the inventive Black New York club scene...

 listeners with their dance cut "Are You Free", but it wasn't successful (the song hit #55 on the R&B charts). However, they did enjoy major success with the ballad "Breakin' My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes)
Breakin' My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes)
"Breakin' My Heart " is the second single from R&B group Mint Condition's 1991 album Meant To Be Mint. The song rose to #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #3 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart,...

". The song stayed on the charts for 34 weeks, hitting the R&B top 5 (#3), and the Pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...

 Top 10 (#6) and was certified gold by the RIAA. The third single "Forever In Your Eyes" was also a successful Top 10 R&B hit (#7 R&B).

1993-1994: From the Mint Factory

Two years later they released their 2nd platinum album, From The Mint Factory (1993). They enjoyed success with the single "U Send Me Swingin'" which peaked at #2 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart for four weeks straight in the spring of 1994. The song was also a smash on the Rhythmic Top 40 charts where it reached #14. The bands next two singles "Someone to Love" and "So Fine" were Billboard Top 30 R&B hits hitting the #28, and #29 spots respectively.

1996-1997: Definition of a Band

In September 1996 saw the release of Definition of a Band which would be the bands most successful period in their career. The album peaked the R&B Top 15. The first successful single on this album was the Billboard R&B smash hit single "What Kind Of Man Would I Be?" which was about remaining faithful in a relationship (#2 R&B, #17 Pop). The single crept up to the number 2 spot on the Billboard R&B charts in a matter of weeks and received a Gold certification by the RIAA that December. "What Kind Of Man Would IBe?" was so popular due to the fact it featured the late and beautiful actress Michelle Thomas
Michelle Thomas
Michelle Thomas was an American actress. She was best known for her roles as Justine Phillips on the NBC sitcom The Cosby Show, and as Myra Monkhouse on the ABC/CBS sitcom Family Matters.-Early life and career:Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Thomas grew up in Montclair, New Jersey and was an...

 RIP that it stayed on the Billboard R&B Charts for a total of 41 weeks before it finally fell off. "You Don't Have to Hurt No More" was the second single released from Definition of a Band and it was also a Top 10 R&B hit. (#10 R&B, #32 pop). With the success of these two singles along with the positive reviews that the album received allowed Definition of a Band to reach Gold status as well. Two years later, The Collection: 1991-1998, a greatest hits compilation, was issued.

1999-2000: Life's Aquarium

After Perspective Records
Perspective Records
Perspective Records was an American record label, launched in 1991 by the producing team Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, through a joint venture with A&M Records—which Jam/Lewis had had a prosperous working relationship with throughout the 1980s, with several of its major acts including Janet Jackson, The...

/A&M
A&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...

 folded, the group signed with Elektra Records
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....

 in 1999, releasing their fourth full-length album, Life's Aquarium which also debuted in the Top 10 (#7 R&B). Its main single, "If You Love Me", hit the R&B Top 5 while appearing on the R&B Charts for 31 weeks. The second single "Is This Pain Our Pleasure", peaked at #42, while also peaking at #34 on the R&B Airplay Charts.

2000s: Livin' The Luxury Brown and E-Life

After a six year hiatus, the group resurfaced as a quintet due to former member and keyboard player Keri Lewis leaving the group to produce for other artists, such as his wife, singer Toni Braxton
Toni Braxton
Toni Michelle Braxton is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Braxton has won six Grammy Awards, seven American Music Awards, and five Billboard Music Awards and has sold over 60 million records worldwide...

. In 2005, they released Livin' The Luxury Brown on their independent label Caged Bird Records. The album hit #1 on the Independent Album Charts. Live From The 9:30 Club, a performance of a concert at the 9:30 club in Washington DC, was issued in 2006.

In 2008 they released a new album entitled E-Life which debuted at #8 on the Billboard R&B album chart, and spawned two singles, "Baby Boy, Baby Girl" and "Nothing Left To Say." The second single "Nothing Left To Say" became the band's first Top 30 R&B single in almost a decade (#27 R&B) and also a Top 5 Billboard Urban Adult Contemporary hit peaking at #3.

2010-Present: 7..., Tour with Prince, TV appearances

The new Mint Condition album 7... will be released on April 5, 2011 on Shanachie Records
Shanachie Records
Shanachie Records was founded in 1976 by Richard Nevins and Dan Collins. According to Harvey Pekar , it is one of the largest independent record labels in the world, and is currently distributed by E1 Music. Starting as a label that specialized in fiddle music, they began releasing work by Celtic...

. It features their new hit single "Caught My Eye" as well as their collaboration with Kelly Price, "Not My Daddy", also a hit. The album is reportedly called 7... because it is the seventh studio album of their career. The songs run the gamut from their signature love ballads through funk and soul tracks with touches of jazz and rock. And, responding to longstanding requests from their fans, there's even an instrumental track. A special limited edition of the album featuring five bonus tracks not available elsewhere (three new songs and two live recordings) is being made available exclusively at Best Buy
Best Buy
Best Buy Co., Inc. is an American specialty retailer of consumer electronics in the United States, accounting for 19% of the market. It also operates in Mexico, Canada & China. The company's subsidiaries include Geek Squad, CinemaNow, Magnolia Audio Video, Pacific Sales, and, in Canada operates...

 stores.

Beginning in December 2010, Mint Condition joined pop legend Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...

 and an ensemble cast of R&B and Jazz musicians for his Welcome 2 America
Welcome 2 America
The Welcome 2... is a concert tour by American recording artist, Prince. The tour began December 2010 in the United States. It has traveled to Europe and Canada in 2011. The tour marks the singer's first performances in North America in over six years. The show is composed of the singer performing...

 tour.

They appeared as the house band for TV One
TV ONE
TV One is the flagship network of New Zealand state broadcaster Television New Zealand . It was the first major television network in New Zealand, starting out from 1960 onwards as individual stations in major centres and eventually networking to become NZBC TV in 1969...

's program Way Black When every night during February 2011.

This year, Mint Condition is celebrating their 20th anniversary as a band.

Discography

Studio
  • Meant to Be Mint (1991)
  • From the Mint Factory (1993)
  • Definition of a Band (1996)
  • Life's Aquarium (1999)
  • Livin' the Luxury Brown (2005)
  • E-Life (2008)
  • 7...
    7...
    -Track listing:# "Can't Get Away" — 4:57# "I Want It" — 3:44# "Walk On" — 5:14# "Mind Slicker" — 4:40# "Caught My Eye" — 3:46# "Bossalude" — 2:04# "7" — 2:17# "Ease the Pain" — 4:57# "Unsung" — 4:33# "Not My Daddy" — 4:33...

    (2011)

Soul Train Music Award

  • Nominated: Best R&B/Soul Album by a Duo or Group for Livin' the Luxury Brown (2005)
  • Nominated: Best R&B/Soul Album by a Group, Band or Duo for Definition of a Band (1997)
  • Nominated: Best R&B/Soul Single by a Group, Band or Duo for What Kind Of Man Would I Be (1997)

SoulTracks Readers' Choice Awards

  • Winners: Album of the Year Mint Condition - e-Life* (2008)
  • Winners: Duo or Group of the Year - Mint Condition* (2008)

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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